A cellular network may support voice, data, and other communication services for mobile devices operating in its coverage area. In some cases, demand for a high data throughput or a high loading of mobile devices may be challenging or even impossible for the network to accommodate. As an example, high loading may occur during an event in which a large number of people congregate in a geographic area, such as a sporting event in a stadium. As another example, a network that provides service to a highly populated area may experience similar challenges.
In such scenarios, it is possible that a pair or group of mobile devices communicating with each other over the network may actually be located in close proximity to each other. It may be beneficial to the network, and to devices operating in the network, for direct device-to-device (D2D) communications to be established between some of the mobile devices, if possible. Accordingly, D2D communications may alleviate device loading or demands of the network, and thus there is a need for such systems and methods.